In the experience of these inventors, many patients are prone to some elevated level of anxiety when undergoing any type of medical procedure or diagnostic testing. In the area of magnetic resonance imaging (“MRI”) scans, in particular, those levels of anxiety are no less common. This is due in large part to the sense of confinement and, in serious instances, a claustrophobic response that is experienced by the patient when the patient is positioned within the bore of a typical MRI scanner and even between the upper and lower coils of a so-called “open” MRI scanner. An anxious patient will not have a positive experience during a typical MRI scan and may even cause the scan results to be compromised due to the patient's inability to relax. Current methods that attempt to induce a state of relaxation in patients have been to provide a light box or projected image in the scan room. However, such light boxes and projected images are intended to display only a static graphic or photographic image. In the view of these inventors, there is a need to provide patients who are about to undergo an MRI procedure with more than just a static photographic image to calm them.
Indeed, from the moment a patient enters an imaging suite, it is the inventors' intention that the patient be enveloped in a serene and calming environment to help minimize the patient's anxiety and to increase the patient's sense of control. It is necessary that such environmental control allow the patient to select personalized lighting, music, images and video to enjoy during the imaging process. It is further necessary to provide such patient-controlled modalities while also preventing electromagnetic (“EM”) interference in the MRI suite which could compromise the quality of the MRI results.